What is the cheapest city to buy a house in California?

Ridgecrest, with a median closed price of $265,000 over its reporting window, among California cities where Resideline tracked at least 100 closings inside the city limits.

Are these asking prices or sale prices?

Closed sale prices. Every price median is the price homes actually closed at inside the municipal boundary, not a listing price. The one column measured differently is realized appreciation, which uses the postal city, as the note under the table says.

Why does a cheap city show a high price per square foot?

Because the ranking median covers every property type that closed, condos and multi-family included, while the $/sqft column is single-family houses only. In cities where most sales are condos, the median price is low and the house $/sqft can still be high.

Is the appreciation figure a forecast?

No. It is the median annual change between consecutive sales of the same home, on repeat-sale pairs. It is historical and nominal, and it says what happened, not what will.

Cheapest Cities to Buy a House in California (2026)

These are the California cities with the lowest median closed home price over their reporting window, among cities where Resideline tracked at least 100 closings inside the municipal limits. Cheapest is not the same as best value, so each city also shows what houses closed at per square foot, what history says about appreciation, and how fast listed homes went under contract.

The ranking

#	City	Median closed price	Houses $/sqft	Realized appreciation	Days to contract	Closings	Window
1	Ridgecrest	$265,000	$178	4.43%/yr	30	229	six months
2	Barstow	$275,000	$206	6.84%/yr	32	174	six months
2	Oroville	$275,000	$221	4.54%/yr	26	151	six months
4	Porterville	$333,500	$224	5.03%/yr	20	241	six months
5	Crestline	$350,000	$272	5.63%/yr	36	217	six months
6	Paradise	$358,000	$273	3.12%/yr	30	272	six months
7	Tehachapi	$367,650	$260	5.46%/yr	17	158	12 months
8	Yucca Valley	$369,500	$250	6.77%/yr	47	264	six months
9	Tulare	$372,000	$233	4.98%/yr	20	317	six months
10	Hanford	$375,000	$235	5.00%/yr	19	375	six months
11	Hemet	$379,000	$244	6.08%/yr	29	883	six months
12	Eureka	$380,000	$280	4.97%/yr	16	244	12 months
12	Banning	$380,000	$260	5.29%/yr	28	447	six months
14	Desert Hot Springs	$382,411	$245	6.35%/yr	44	282	six months
15	Redding	$385,000	$251	4.25%/yr	18	716	six months

1. Ridgecrest, $265,000

The median closed price in Ridgecrest is $265,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 36 percent of the state figure. 229 closings sit behind that figure, about 38 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $178 per square foot across 198 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.43 percent a year between those sales, on 775 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. The median listed home took 30 days to go under contract, across 160 listed closings. Full detail is on the Ridgecrest market page.

2. Barstow, $275,000

Homes in Barstow closed at a median of $275,000 over the last six months, about 38 percent of the California statewide median. Resideline tracked 174 closings there, roughly 29 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $206 per square foot across 141 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.84 percent a year (763 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 32 days. About 7.9 percent of listings that sold were marketed as-is or distressed, which is high and part of why the entry price is low. Full detail is on the Barstow market page.

2. Oroville, $275,000

The median closed price in Oroville is $275,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 38 percent of the state figure. 151 closings sit behind that figure, about 25 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $221 per square foot across 119 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 4.54 percent a year (1,158 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home took 26 days to go under contract, across 87 listed closings. About 7.0 percent of listings that sold were marketed as-is or distressed, which is high and part of why the entry price is low. Full detail is on the Oroville market page.

4. Porterville, $333,500

The median closed price in Porterville is $333,500 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 46 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 241 closings there, roughly 40 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $224 per square foot across 223 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.03 percent a year (856 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home was under contract in 20 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Porterville market page.

5. Crestline, $350,000

The median closed price in Crestline is $350,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 48 percent of the state figure. 217 closings sit behind that figure, about 36 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $272, measured on 212 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.63 percent a year (757 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 36 days. Full detail is on the Crestline market page.

6. Paradise, $358,000

Homes in Paradise closed at a median of $358,000 over the last six months, about 49 percent of the California statewide median. Resideline tracked 272 closings there, roughly 45 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $273 per square foot across 228 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 3.12 percent a year between those sales, on 1,330 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 30 days. Full detail is on the Paradise market page.

7. Tehachapi, $367,650

The median closed price in Tehachapi is $367,650 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 51 percent of the state figure. 158 closings sit behind that figure, about 13 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $260, measured on 130 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.46 percent a year (1,468 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home was under contract in 17 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Tehachapi market page.

8. Yucca Valley, $369,500

Yucca Valley's median closed price over the last six months was $369,500, around 51 percent of what the typical California sale closed at. Resideline tracked 264 closings there, roughly 44 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $250, measured on 233 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 6.77 percent a year between those sales, on 1,534 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 47 days. About 7.5 percent of listings that sold were marketed as-is or distressed, which is high and part of why the entry price is low. Full detail is on the Yucca Valley market page.

9. Tulare, $372,000

Tulare's median closed price over the last six months was $372,000, around 51 percent of what the typical California sale closed at. 317 closings sit behind that figure, about 53 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $233, measured on 290 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.98 percent a year between those sales, on 1,083 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. The median listed home was under contract in 20 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Tulare market page.

10. Hanford, $375,000

Hanford's median closed price over the last six months was $375,000, around 52 percent of what the typical California sale closed at. Resideline tracked 375 closings there, roughly 62 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $235, measured on 358 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.00 percent a year (1,259 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 19 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Hanford market page.

11. Hemet, $379,000

Hemet's median closed price over the last six months was $379,000, around 52 percent of what the typical California sale closed at. Resideline tracked 883 closings there, roughly 147 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $244, measured on 642 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 6.08 percent a year between those sales, on 4,225 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 29 days. Full detail is on the Hemet market page.

12. Eureka, $380,000

Eureka's median closed price over the last 12 months was $380,000, around 52 percent of what the typical California sale closed at. 244 closings sit behind that figure, about 20 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $280 per square foot across 197 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.97 percent a year between those sales, on 815 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 16 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Eureka market page.

12. Banning, $380,000

Banning's median closed price over the last six months was $380,000, around 52 percent of what the typical California sale closed at. 447 closings sit behind that figure, about 74 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $260 per square foot across 384 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.29 percent a year between those sales, on 787 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 28 days. Full detail is on the Banning market page.

14. Desert Hot Springs, $382,411

Homes in Desert Hot Springs closed at a median of $382,411 over the last six months, about 53 percent of the California statewide median. Resideline tracked 282 closings there, roughly 47 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $245 per square foot across 244 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 6.35 percent a year between those sales, on 1,769 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 44 days. Full detail is on the Desert Hot Springs market page.

15. Redding, $385,000

The median closed price in Redding is $385,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 53 percent of the state figure. 716 closings sit behind that figure, about 119 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $251, measured on 594 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 4.25 percent a year (3,321 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 18 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Redding market page.

Note: realized appreciation is the one column measured on the postal city, from repeat sales of the same home across the ZIP codes that share the city's name; every other figure is confined to the municipal boundary.

How to read this list

Treat it as a shortlist. A citywide median cannot price a specific address, and the cheapest city on paper can be the most expensive per square foot or the slowest to resell. Run any address here through Resideline for the comparable sales behind its value.

Figures last updated September 5, 2026 from closings Resideline tracked. Appreciation is the median annual change between consecutive sales of the same home; it is historical, nominal and not a projection.